Philippa Riley, Chartered Occupational Psychologist, A&DC Ltd

Who cares what Graduates think? Be honest, was the applicant experience a priority when you designed your Graduate selection process?

If your answer to the question above is no, your organisation is not alone. 


For good reason, Graduate selection processes are primarily shaped by the job competencies, budgets, and time and resource constraints.  However, what this means is that the applicant experience becomes a nice to have add-on to the selection process, rather than a key design consideration.

But how important is the applicant experience?

It is well-established that Generation Y are looking to work for the right company, not just any company.  The selection process is likely to be one of a Graduate’s first direct interactions with a potential employer, and, as such, they are likely to be making judgements about their fit with the job role and your organisation throughout the process.  Evidence suggests that these judgements may have significant outcomes such as intent to pursue the role, job offer acceptance or, should they be selected, their future engagement with your organisation.  Given this, surely it is better to ensure that you actively acknowledge and control the messages that applicants receive, rather than leave it to chance?

But doesn’t focusing too much on the applicant experience compromise the effectiveness of the process?  Surely the aim of the selection process is for us to select the right Graduates for our organisation?

Taking account of the applicant experience doesn’t necessarily require a massive change to what you’re already doing, and neither does it have to undermine the ability of the process to select the right person for the role.  In fact, taking account of Graduates’ perceptions of the process could actually increase your chances of getting the best candidate for the role, as applicants will be in a better position to judge if your organisation is right for them. 

So how can a selection process be designed to take account of the applicant experience?

1) Integrating your recruitment brand:

Although many Graduate employers recognise the importance of recruitment branding, for many, branding efforts are typically focused on the so-called ‘attraction’ phase (ie pre-application).  But Graduates are still making decisions right up until the time when they accept or reject an offer, and the selection process provides a key opportunity to reinforce some of these messages.  The role of personnel as communicators of the brand particularly needs to be considered, as there is a greater potential for variability than is the case with other forms of marketing collateral.  Examples of the ways in which branding might be incorporated in the process are:

• Reflecting your employer brand in the style and nature of your communication with applicants.

• Using assessment exercises that reflect your brand, for example by setting a group exercise in the context of an organisation that has parallels with the values and key features of your own.

• Scheduling organisational briefings into your assessment day to ensure that all applicants are hearing the same key messages about your organisation.

• Carefully selecting and training all personnel involved in the process to consistently communicate aspects of the brand.

• Ensuring that the assessment day is run professionally, that the materials and tests used fit with your brand image, and that Candidates are treated positively throughout. 

2) Providing key job role information: 

For a Graduate to make an informed decision about whether they want to join your organisation, it is critical that they receive realistic information about the job role.  The selection process can be a key way of providing this information, either through the assessments used or by allowing candidates to interact with actual job incumbents.  Examples of some of the specific actions that can be taken are as follows:   

• Using self-selection activities prior to direct selection (such as questionnaires or quizzes) so that Graduates can judge their suitability for your organisation and job role prior to applying.

• Using job-related exercises and tests (such as Situational Judgement Tests and simulation exercises) to communicate key aspects of the role.

• Using a location for the assessment day which is representative of where the Candidate will be working, if possible (for example, using your offices rather than running the event at a hotel).

• Making the process interactive.  Consider using an assessment centre as a means to increase candidates’ self awareness so that they are better able to judge their fit with your organisation, such as by conducting a motivational assessment and discussing a candidate’s responses in the context of the job role.

• Providing candidates with opportunities to interact with existing job incumbents, either informally at a lunch or evening event, or more formally by asking existing incumbents to present and answer questions on their job role and experiences in your organisation.

3) Treating applicants fairly: 

Perceptions of the fairness of a selection process have important outcomes in terms of applicants’ attitudes and behaviours.  Graduates are likely to be concerned about the fairness of the process including the tests used, their opportunity to perform, how consistently the administration was conducted, how they were treated and whether they received feedback.  Some ways in which this can be ensured are: 

• Providing candidates with information about the competencies to be assessed, what the assessments are and why they have been chosen.

• Contacting applicants promptly and ensuring you adhere to any explicit deadlines.  The failure to meet deadlines is often cited by applicants as a significant source of frustration. 

• Explaining the purpose of all sifting processes to applicants, particularly when they are not obviously job relevant (such as psychometric tests).

• Assessing a range of relevant competencies at the early stages of the process, rather than one narrow ability (such as numerical reasoning).

• Training assessors to ensure that exercises and tests are administered fairly and consistently.

• Providing all candidates with the opportunity for feedback, whether they are successful or not.  Even if this is only brief written feedback, it can still provide the candidate with useful information about their strengths and areas for development.

To seek out the best talent, companies must care what Graduates think about their selection processes, and take account of this when designing these processes.  In this article, we have discussed some of the ways in which this can be achieved. 

So next time you’re thinking of redesigning your Graduate selection process, give a thought to who is actually assessing who.